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Parents join forces to save preschool
Hudson Montessori was being closed; Families of students rented a new facility
KAREN SEIDMAN
The Gazette
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Sasha Malashenko helped save the Hudson Montessori. Tyrel Featherstone, The Gazette
The most important lesson learned by the children attending the former Hudson Montessori school this year was that perseverance really can pay off.
And happy endings aren’t only for fairy tales.
In March, parents of the five children attending the St. Lazare preschool were told the owner could no longer sustain the school financially and it would close
almost immediately.
There was shock and panic among the parents and students. Even the teacher had no idea the school was in such dire straits.
“Our kids would have been without their school for three months,” said Sasha Malashenko, whose 4-year-old son was attending the school. “The kids were so upset, and we realized how dedicated they were to their school. We had to do something.”
Malashenko and her husband decided they would buy the school and the materials from the owner, but their offer was rejected. Still committed to saving the school, Malashenko began scouting around for a new location.
She found “a cozy space with windows” in a strip mall in Vaudreuil, right next to a large daycare and with a very large playground. It was perfect.
Malashenko drove to Toronto to purchase the Montessori materials she believes makes the school a cut above all others, and all the parents began pitching in: some painted, some built shelving, some removed carpets and Malashenko’s mother sewed the curtains.
“Everyone had a hand in setting it up,” Malashenko said. “It was a real group effort. And it was really the kids who drove us to do this.”
In the end, the children only missed three weeks of school.
“We’re so overwhelmed by (Malashenko’s) kindness and generosity,” said Holly Vali, another parent with a child at the school. “They really cared about the kids and wanted to save the school year.”
She said that not only are the children happy, but the parents are thrilled, too.
“We were just a group of parents who couldn’t let go of a good thing,” Vali said.
For Malashenko, however, it’s not so much an ending as a beginning. The stay-at-home mom is now a school owner and is hoping to make her new business work.
She is awaiting her final permit, which will allow her to expand this fall. So far, the teacher has volunteered to finish off the year and Malashenko doesn’t feel she can charge the other parents who were so involved in setting up the new school. She’s also out the $12,000 she spent on the Montessori materials and doesn’t know if the tuition can cover the costs of the school.
She has lots of people calling for next year, but has to finalize her permit before she can accept their registration.
“It is surreal to be a preschool owner,” Malashenko said. “But I’m so happy I did it. I feel relief for the kids. This is definitely the start of something great.”
“This is a real, genuine happy ending,” Vali said.
kseidman@thegazette.canwest.com